It has been a long time since there has been any activity on this space allocated for random rumblings. But, I have been busy assembling a team and sending them across the world to meet up with the current F 1 Champion , Blew it Hamilton, and homegrown talent ( this was never promised, but this team is in a generous mood this time of the year), the Nawab of Najafgarh, Virender Sehwag holidaying in some god forsaken place, to top off his splendid year.
Excerpts from the really candid Viru conversation:
Wine and Gold: It's been a great year for you, Viru, out of the side, and the brilliant comeback into the team, you must be really satisfied.
Viru: Thanks, yes, it was a tough year before, but then I have always believed in my style of batting, if the ball is there to be hit, I will hit it. This year, luckily, I hit some.
WaG (not the brightest idea I think) : So what did you do, to get back into the form you displayed down under?
Viru: Nothing, if the ball is there to be hit, I just hit the ball. I have always believed in this and I saw no reason to change that.
WaG: Not even after the horrendous last year and a half?
Viru: I felt I was getting out when I was batting well. But in this game you either play or you dont, so I said, if the ball is there to be hit, I will hit it.
WaG: Enlightening, I can't help but notice, that you sit, right next to Gary, if your in the dressing room. What is the reason for that? Some superstition?
Viru: No, nothing like that. I just get frustrated in there, when a ball is there to be hit, and it is left alone. I am not taking any names, but the wall, for example. So i mouth obscenities in Hindi, which Gary really can't understand. That's all.
( and then he mutters - I broke a TV thanks to him, hitting a ball that was there to be hit, watching him bat)
( Looking for the Breaking News scroll!! Damn, where did it go??)
He rounds off advising youngsters playing cricket, to hit the ball if it is there to be hit, after all, you either bat, or you dont. ( Uncomplicated genius) Obviously, if you are still interested to know, there is no bowler, Sehwag fears, because, he has nothing to do with the bowler, as any bowler, has to bowl the ball, and any ball is there to be hit.( Oh yes, after admirable restraint the man said it)
But, the team would like to thank him, for giving his precious time while trying to find a ball that can be hit, and also, for the amazing exhibition of sheer audacity and exhilarating batsmanship, in a year where, he setup the march of this Indian team to the pinnacle.
Keep it up Viru, Pure Genius!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
A happy ending to the "Fabulous" Era
P.S: By Indian cricket I am referring to the test circuit
The culmination of Australia tour of India has brought to an end a few long lasting eras' of modern cricket. For a start, the 2-0 result has officially(well not yet, if you want to follow the ICC rankings) put an end to Australia's authority on top of World Cricket. They have been challenged a few times the last decade, by India, almost every time they met, in the Ashes, but this series has showed the huge void left behind by Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and the fishing adventures of Symonds.
But from an Indian fan perspective, especially, us who have grown watching them, it is finally the end of the Fabulous Era - The era of the Fabulous Four. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Saurav Chandidas Ganguly, Rahul Sharad Dravid, and VVS Laxman (never expanding a gult's name :)).
The longevity of them together itself is a testament to their greatness. As we all know, no community is as demanding as the Indian, and no community is as tough to win over as the Indian, no community is as hungry for the next big thing as Indian. The media, the fans, the politics all made sure in the past that the theatre of Indian Cricket has rarely had actors who played a part in each offering over as long a period as these four gentlemen have. That alone is enough testament to the greatness of this era.
An era so great, that I could not stop myself from coming out retirement, to use my office internet facilities (yeah, I'm still not fired) to celebrate a truely special part of Indian cricket history. One that will be etched in gold and framed, and will be placed right up there where it deserves, on the very top.
For a group as much as it has achieved, the forming of it was anything but trivial. As the Indian cricket fan had got used to by then, this group was plagued by inconsistency in the years before it donned its regal avatar. Inconsistency in direction, policies, selections, and when given the opportunity, the performances itself. It took four years, since the entry of the players in question, before the Fab Four took shape.
The contribution of the Fab Four to Indian Cricket cannot really be appreciated without looking at Indian Cricket through the 90's. The 90's brought to Indian Cricket, its first superstar, Sachin Tendulkar and with it great hope to a nation. And with great hope, unfortunately, came rather huge doses of disappointment. India had the best batsman in the world, it had Mohammad Azharrudin, a great captain, Javagal Srinath - one of the first "fast" bowlers of Indian Cricket, emergence of the next great spinner in Anil Kumble, and lots of bubbles, that would then soon burst, in Vinod Kambli, Jadeja, Manjrekar etc. An Indian fan will have fond memories of Sachin oozing exuberance, style, class, grace and genius in his innings in Sydney and Old Trafford. The amazing counter attack launched by Sachin and Azhar on a bouncy South African track, or the brilliant double century of Siddhu in West Indies, or many a fierce spells of Javagal Srinath and testing seam bowling of Venkatesh Prasad, but the overriding emotion of the decade had to be grief for the ever demanding Indian cricket fan, the sadness of Tendulkar's brilliance only resulting in a defeat by 200 runs, or the failure to chase 120. Most of you know what I am getting to by now. However great India were at home in the 90's, and initially, that was a big thing for young fans like me, even later - like the 98 Australian tour to India, the semi finals of 96 and other highlights of the decade, it eventually got to a point - the disappointment of the 99 World Cup, where the atrocious record abroad finally screamed out to even the most uninformed Indian (has to be a cricket fan). It finally made a fan wonder, if waking up at 4 to watch a test match in Australia was really worth it. The final blow was of course, the match fixing scandal.
From those depths, it needed something as special as these four to revive Indian cricket in the hearts and minds of the fan. From those depths, it needed something as special as these four to make the Indian fan wake up at 4 to catch even the pitch report of matches in Australia and stay up as late as 3 to see the post match analysis for matches in West Indies.
The heroics of VVS and Dravid at Kolkata in 2001, resulting in a dramatic series victory against the invincibles, the first test victory on the soil, in a long long time, of West Indies on the backs of Saurav and VVS, the Headingley assault led by Sachin and Ganguly, after the vigilance of, by now, "The Wall", Dravid's heroics in Adelaide, and finally series victories in Pakistan, West Indies and England and a test match victory in South Africa, the brilliant comeback in Perth, and Sri Lanka tour, and I am only scratching the surface. There were the occasional hiccups like the New Zealand tour in 03, but for the Indian fan brought up in the 90's, that is easy to digest. All this while maintaining their supremacy at home, only blemish being a series defeat to Australia in 04. (There were some drawn series). The 2000's for the first time in Indian cricket, made the Indian cricket fan, revel in the success of a group, and admire a group. That is the biggest compliment that can be put for these four, especially after Tendulkar became God somewhere in the 90's.
The Fab Four marked an era of Indian cricket, where its first serious push to the top of Test cricket was made. The start of the era was anything but a loud statement. But what we witnessed over the last eight or so years is batsmanship of the highest quality, and grit, fight and resolve never seen before in Indian cricket. And it is fitting that it has ended with a defining victory over the reigning test champions. Fitting that it has ended in taking India from being the forever middle of the pack team to the threshold of the best team in the world.
The Fabulous Four have cemented their place in Indian cricket history, and have become immortal in the minds of the Indian cricket fan.
The culmination of Australia tour of India has brought to an end a few long lasting eras' of modern cricket. For a start, the 2-0 result has officially(well not yet, if you want to follow the ICC rankings) put an end to Australia's authority on top of World Cricket. They have been challenged a few times the last decade, by India, almost every time they met, in the Ashes, but this series has showed the huge void left behind by Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and the fishing adventures of Symonds.
But from an Indian fan perspective, especially, us who have grown watching them, it is finally the end of the Fabulous Era - The era of the Fabulous Four. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Saurav Chandidas Ganguly, Rahul Sharad Dravid, and VVS Laxman (never expanding a gult's name :)).
The longevity of them together itself is a testament to their greatness. As we all know, no community is as demanding as the Indian, and no community is as tough to win over as the Indian, no community is as hungry for the next big thing as Indian. The media, the fans, the politics all made sure in the past that the theatre of Indian Cricket has rarely had actors who played a part in each offering over as long a period as these four gentlemen have. That alone is enough testament to the greatness of this era.
An era so great, that I could not stop myself from coming out retirement, to use my office internet facilities (yeah, I'm still not fired) to celebrate a truely special part of Indian cricket history. One that will be etched in gold and framed, and will be placed right up there where it deserves, on the very top.
For a group as much as it has achieved, the forming of it was anything but trivial. As the Indian cricket fan had got used to by then, this group was plagued by inconsistency in the years before it donned its regal avatar. Inconsistency in direction, policies, selections, and when given the opportunity, the performances itself. It took four years, since the entry of the players in question, before the Fab Four took shape.
The contribution of the Fab Four to Indian Cricket cannot really be appreciated without looking at Indian Cricket through the 90's. The 90's brought to Indian Cricket, its first superstar, Sachin Tendulkar and with it great hope to a nation. And with great hope, unfortunately, came rather huge doses of disappointment. India had the best batsman in the world, it had Mohammad Azharrudin, a great captain, Javagal Srinath - one of the first "fast" bowlers of Indian Cricket, emergence of the next great spinner in Anil Kumble, and lots of bubbles, that would then soon burst, in Vinod Kambli, Jadeja, Manjrekar etc. An Indian fan will have fond memories of Sachin oozing exuberance, style, class, grace and genius in his innings in Sydney and Old Trafford. The amazing counter attack launched by Sachin and Azhar on a bouncy South African track, or the brilliant double century of Siddhu in West Indies, or many a fierce spells of Javagal Srinath and testing seam bowling of Venkatesh Prasad, but the overriding emotion of the decade had to be grief for the ever demanding Indian cricket fan, the sadness of Tendulkar's brilliance only resulting in a defeat by 200 runs, or the failure to chase 120. Most of you know what I am getting to by now. However great India were at home in the 90's, and initially, that was a big thing for young fans like me, even later - like the 98 Australian tour to India, the semi finals of 96 and other highlights of the decade, it eventually got to a point - the disappointment of the 99 World Cup, where the atrocious record abroad finally screamed out to even the most uninformed Indian (has to be a cricket fan). It finally made a fan wonder, if waking up at 4 to watch a test match in Australia was really worth it. The final blow was of course, the match fixing scandal.
From those depths, it needed something as special as these four to revive Indian cricket in the hearts and minds of the fan. From those depths, it needed something as special as these four to make the Indian fan wake up at 4 to catch even the pitch report of matches in Australia and stay up as late as 3 to see the post match analysis for matches in West Indies.
The heroics of VVS and Dravid at Kolkata in 2001, resulting in a dramatic series victory against the invincibles, the first test victory on the soil, in a long long time, of West Indies on the backs of Saurav and VVS, the Headingley assault led by Sachin and Ganguly, after the vigilance of, by now, "The Wall", Dravid's heroics in Adelaide, and finally series victories in Pakistan, West Indies and England and a test match victory in South Africa, the brilliant comeback in Perth, and Sri Lanka tour, and I am only scratching the surface. There were the occasional hiccups like the New Zealand tour in 03, but for the Indian fan brought up in the 90's, that is easy to digest. All this while maintaining their supremacy at home, only blemish being a series defeat to Australia in 04. (There were some drawn series). The 2000's for the first time in Indian cricket, made the Indian cricket fan, revel in the success of a group, and admire a group. That is the biggest compliment that can be put for these four, especially after Tendulkar became God somewhere in the 90's.
The Fab Four marked an era of Indian cricket, where its first serious push to the top of Test cricket was made. The start of the era was anything but a loud statement. But what we witnessed over the last eight or so years is batsmanship of the highest quality, and grit, fight and resolve never seen before in Indian cricket. And it is fitting that it has ended with a defining victory over the reigning test champions. Fitting that it has ended in taking India from being the forever middle of the pack team to the threshold of the best team in the world.
The Fabulous Four have cemented their place in Indian cricket history, and have become immortal in the minds of the Indian cricket fan.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Olympic Quotes
As the title suggests, great research has gone behind this post. I spent a lot of time going through the archives of all the games held since 1896 - the modern version of the games. I also consulted historians, translators, archaeologists - everyone I could to understand quotes of the ancient versions. After all this I put together a compilation of quotes, that I think are truly apart in terms of content. Here it is
1) "I could not run, I could not jump."
Anju B George, after failing to make even one legal jump in the 2008 Beijing Games.
Talk about a Government funded holiday and this tops it. Sorry to all other quotes that could not make the cut, but this is truly a class apart.
1) "I could not run, I could not jump."
Anju B George, after failing to make even one legal jump in the 2008 Beijing Games.
Talk about a Government funded holiday and this tops it. Sorry to all other quotes that could not make the cut, but this is truly a class apart.
Monday, August 4, 2008
License to continue
The second test of the on going test series between India and the Lankans brought to us, something we should be getting used to. An emphatic comeback from the veterans. Before I start off about what I want to write for now, a little bit of introduction to the group I'm talking about. Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh. Sachin, the prodigious kid expected to take the world by storm. Saurav, believed to have entered the team because of the "quota" system. Dravid, never expected to become into anything even remotely close to what he has, VVS - made one of the worst openers of the last decade, Viru - Casual strokeplay sometimes interpreted as careless, and Bhajji called for chucking in his debut season.
These men have formed the core of the greatest Test team India has ever produced. This team also produced fine leaders, one of them probably the best of all time. These men, over the course of their careers have achieved something that was unheard of by our fathers. Victory in South Africa, drawn series against Australia in their den, series victory against Windies and the Pommies, Pakistan, on the threshold of one in Lanka, this team has achieved a lot. Even as recently Azhar's time, this was a team that was notoriously poor in traveling. The transformation was gradual. Started off by winning the one off test against Bangladesh! But what has been witnessed since then is something truly noteworthy. No more is the Indian team a pushover overseas. In fact they are expected to win now. Oh and not just by the Indians(which was always there). This transformation has been made possible by and large by the quality of the batsmanship. Collectively, it has been way greater than anything ever witnessed in the past. Lots of reasons can be put forth for this change. After all, we did have decent teams even before. The quality of batsmen, self confidence instilled by arguably the greatest leader the game in this country has ever witnessed, and also I guess, the general rise of India on the world map. A lot of factors helped in this overturn.
But this article isn't really meant to be a celebration of this great collective talent. The present scenario in Indian cricket has changed too fast. The growing influence of the media has made public retention very low. The selectors seem infatuated by the youth. And some idiots who call themselves experts throw their opinion on air everyday of the year, and we gullible lot, by and large agree with what everyone has to say. The push for youngsters has never been greater. The demand for success from this group of veterans has never been higher. One defeat against the Lankans, brought about hue and cry never witnessed. Because, suddenly, we were expected to beat the mighty Lankans.
Over the past, each individual, with the exception of Sachin Tendulkar, has always had a head hunter. But now, for the first time ever, the team collectively must have felt the pressure to perform. The time left for these greats is short. Every win for them is just a license to continue playing for the country, to satisfy media hungry to create sensation, and to pacify the selectors who seem bought into the idea of youth. Tendulkar is the one untouchable of Indian cicket, so leaving him aside, every one else has their ass on the hot seat. Sehwag is on a comeback, Dravid never played an innings under more pressure than the second innings, Saurav made the greatest comeback ever, is suddenly under pressure again, VVS never felt secure about his place, and Kumble, has Dhoni ready to take over test captaincy. The team collectively, first time ever is feeling the heat. And it was great fun, to watch these champions fight it out as a group to win, to win license to die another day. They will end soon. And not all might end on their terms, but it sure will be great to watch them fight it out just to stretch their careers a little longer and fight the infatuation of youth that has possessed us all. Sad it might be, but it sure will be great to watch. Fight to win. Win to play another day!
These men have formed the core of the greatest Test team India has ever produced. This team also produced fine leaders, one of them probably the best of all time. These men, over the course of their careers have achieved something that was unheard of by our fathers. Victory in South Africa, drawn series against Australia in their den, series victory against Windies and the Pommies, Pakistan, on the threshold of one in Lanka, this team has achieved a lot. Even as recently Azhar's time, this was a team that was notoriously poor in traveling. The transformation was gradual. Started off by winning the one off test against Bangladesh! But what has been witnessed since then is something truly noteworthy. No more is the Indian team a pushover overseas. In fact they are expected to win now. Oh and not just by the Indians(which was always there). This transformation has been made possible by and large by the quality of the batsmanship. Collectively, it has been way greater than anything ever witnessed in the past. Lots of reasons can be put forth for this change. After all, we did have decent teams even before. The quality of batsmen, self confidence instilled by arguably the greatest leader the game in this country has ever witnessed, and also I guess, the general rise of India on the world map. A lot of factors helped in this overturn.
But this article isn't really meant to be a celebration of this great collective talent. The present scenario in Indian cricket has changed too fast. The growing influence of the media has made public retention very low. The selectors seem infatuated by the youth. And some idiots who call themselves experts throw their opinion on air everyday of the year, and we gullible lot, by and large agree with what everyone has to say. The push for youngsters has never been greater. The demand for success from this group of veterans has never been higher. One defeat against the Lankans, brought about hue and cry never witnessed. Because, suddenly, we were expected to beat the mighty Lankans.
Over the past, each individual, with the exception of Sachin Tendulkar, has always had a head hunter. But now, for the first time ever, the team collectively must have felt the pressure to perform. The time left for these greats is short. Every win for them is just a license to continue playing for the country, to satisfy media hungry to create sensation, and to pacify the selectors who seem bought into the idea of youth. Tendulkar is the one untouchable of Indian cicket, so leaving him aside, every one else has their ass on the hot seat. Sehwag is on a comeback, Dravid never played an innings under more pressure than the second innings, Saurav made the greatest comeback ever, is suddenly under pressure again, VVS never felt secure about his place, and Kumble, has Dhoni ready to take over test captaincy. The team collectively, first time ever is feeling the heat. And it was great fun, to watch these champions fight it out as a group to win, to win license to die another day. They will end soon. And not all might end on their terms, but it sure will be great to watch them fight it out just to stretch their careers a little longer and fight the infatuation of youth that has possessed us all. Sad it might be, but it sure will be great to watch. Fight to win. Win to play another day!
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Great Wall of India
Bored and without work! Fast Internet, occasionally functional air-conditioner, passable head phones - and a worthless blog to stare at. Then it dawns upon the creator of that worthless blog that the time is ripe for a new entry. Nothing changed since the last post folks. Still jobless, and yeah still the same facility to access internet. Scrolling through the blog, I realized, I did not post my views on one of the greatest cricketers of our generation, thought it would be useful in such times in the future, where I would have more to tinker with, and for the present would help me kill some time by advertising aggressively for my new blog entry. Aaah perfect! Change the track. Admire the internet speed for being able to listen to music. Blare out the volume to its fullest. And overdrive! A little peek from the manager will not deter this author from his mission.
Easily one of the most gifted batsmen to have ever donned the Indian cap, this tall elegant batsman from the great city of Hyderabad (sorry could not resist) , the Very Very Special Laxman, is probably one of the most under rated cricketer in the history of the game. So stupendous is his success against the greatest team ever assembled on the cricket field that his other efforts have been rather unjustly overlooked.
Damn! Break in the flow. Work assigned. Testing times for the creator of the blog that is there because there is space for it to exist. None the less, with unmatched determination, never before seen grit, yet complete poise, he will overcome all odds to write what he intended to, (think I did that already).
VVS Laxman is the greatest batsman to have ever played for India since 1995, yes, not Dravid, not Ganguly. He is an absolute artist and the ease with which he plays can only be matched by the genius of Sachin. The countless match winning knocks, match saving knocks he has played have by and large gone unnoticed, largely, I guess, because they haven't been as loud as the 281 in Kolkata. But 10 years later, when people sit down and look back, dont be surprised to see a bald Harsha with grey sidelocks say that he was the greatest matchwinner India ever had. Here is to the most greaceful batsman ever seen in our times, the singer, ready with a new song to the Lankan beats, Very Very Special Laxman!!
Easily one of the most gifted batsmen to have ever donned the Indian cap, this tall elegant batsman from the great city of Hyderabad (sorry could not resist) , the Very Very Special Laxman, is probably one of the most under rated cricketer in the history of the game. So stupendous is his success against the greatest team ever assembled on the cricket field that his other efforts have been rather unjustly overlooked.
Damn! Break in the flow. Work assigned. Testing times for the creator of the blog that is there because there is space for it to exist. None the less, with unmatched determination, never before seen grit, yet complete poise, he will overcome all odds to write what he intended to, (think I did that already).
VVS Laxman is the greatest batsman to have ever played for India since 1995, yes, not Dravid, not Ganguly. He is an absolute artist and the ease with which he plays can only be matched by the genius of Sachin. The countless match winning knocks, match saving knocks he has played have by and large gone unnoticed, largely, I guess, because they haven't been as loud as the 281 in Kolkata. But 10 years later, when people sit down and look back, dont be surprised to see a bald Harsha with grey sidelocks say that he was the greatest matchwinner India ever had. Here is to the most greaceful batsman ever seen in our times, the singer, ready with a new song to the Lankan beats, Very Very Special Laxman!!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Tale of a Magician, a Machine and a Djoker
It has been a while since you have last heard from me. Lots has been happening in the world we care about, the world of sports, but nothing excited me more than the third grand slam of the year. The greens of Wimbledon. A truly amazing event.
The failure of the top seeds in the women' s draw, the magical run of the short Chinese, the re - emergence of the enigmatic Safin, the disaster of the American's in the men 's section, Djokovic stunner, and of course, arguably the greatest end to the Championships ever, the finals' of the singles event in both the men 's and women 's. Yeah, we tend to forget that the women 's final was one of the highest quality, ever offered on the last Saturday of any slam. Unfair maybe, but I will spend my energy, time, and my office's internet facility on the other final. The men 's final. Actually on second thoughts, I think I will give that a pass as well. A lot has been written about it, and anything I add here will only add to the cliche's that are already flooding the space. Instead I will re direct my energy, and yeah the office's internet facillity, to write on probably the most intense battle for the top seat in World Tennis.
The three characters being the magician, the machine and the djoker. Djoker is not a name to insult a special talent like Novak, but I guess, it describes him best. He likes to speak his mind, and have fun while out there on the court. Sure does not mind making statements, that would make him likeable among the press. This mad race between Federer and Nadal, and the new entrant, Djokovic is more intriguing because of the contrasting personalities, styles and the whole history. Nadal blocking Federer's claim to be the greatest player of all time, Federer well, stopped Nadal twice before eventually falling, in the way of Nadal's dream to be more than just the king of clay. And well Djokovic. The brat. Just to make things interesting. It has the most perfect setting. Federer and Nadal, who dont seem tired of singing praises of each other, and then there is Novak, who doesnt hesitate in saying something that might be politically incorrect. Federer who makes the game look so easy, Nadal who runs around like a rabbit (thank you Safin), and Djokovic - well he is fun to watch too.
And the emergence of each character was perfect too. Federer, the prodigious kid on the block, took lots of time to come to terms with his huge potential. Before it started raining Slam's in his house, and buffaloes in his backyard.
Nadal, the prodigious young talent, expected to take over the world of tennis, but was too young at 17 to do anything significant, with time, turned into the King of Clay, but faced agonising failure before eventually tasting the sweetness of succes in the grass he cared about.
And Djokovic, coming from a country invisible on the tennis map, again took time to come to terms with what he was capable of, tasted failure in his first grand slam final, yes in the hands of one of the other two character's, before putting his country in the tennis map of champions.
All three of them faced agonising failure before the mad success that has followed. Something never heard of before. Nadal and Federer faced each other in 6 slam finals, a record. Federer reached - I lost count - consecutive semi finals, and Djokovic, before the Wimbledon blemish, had 5 consecutive semi's or better finish to a slam. While Nadal merrily continued his streak on clay, and became much more of a threat on the faster courts, and finally displaced the King of Grass, to keep his thrown warm for a while.
Besides the contrasting styles on court and attitudes off court, there is one more reason that makes this mad race, a lot more interesting. It is how each one of them, stand in other's path to the finish. That is what truely separates this from anything ever seen in the past. Such isolation of greatness. Nadal in Federer's path of winning all the slam's and claim to be the greatest ever, if he can't already, Federer in Nadal's path to become the world No. 1, shocking that a player as good as Nadal was never the best player in the world(just shows what a great player the magician is himself), and Djokovic, the ambitious young man, who believes the world is out there for him to rule. And he has done a lot to make sure he meets his dream. He is the only man to beat Federer and Nadal in the same tournament, back to back that too. And that speaks loads of his ability.
It is this which makes the battle of these three so intriguing. Having achieved considerable success, none has found it enough to be content with. And they have each other to overcome in their quest for ultimate content in life. This greed for success, and strive for perfection, initial failure, some success, yet lack of contentment - this is what makes all of us identify with this mad race. The greatest script that could ever be written. The leads being ordinary humans with extra ordinary skills. Let the show continue. Enjoy it as long as it lasts. Dont ever try to answer the question who is the greatest. Because the day you answer that, the greatest rivalries ever witnessed on that rectangle would have ended!
Enjoy the show!!
The failure of the top seeds in the women' s draw, the magical run of the short Chinese, the re - emergence of the enigmatic Safin, the disaster of the American's in the men 's section, Djokovic stunner, and of course, arguably the greatest end to the Championships ever, the finals' of the singles event in both the men 's and women 's. Yeah, we tend to forget that the women 's final was one of the highest quality, ever offered on the last Saturday of any slam. Unfair maybe, but I will spend my energy, time, and my office's internet facility on the other final. The men 's final. Actually on second thoughts, I think I will give that a pass as well. A lot has been written about it, and anything I add here will only add to the cliche's that are already flooding the space. Instead I will re direct my energy, and yeah the office's internet facillity, to write on probably the most intense battle for the top seat in World Tennis.
The three characters being the magician, the machine and the djoker. Djoker is not a name to insult a special talent like Novak, but I guess, it describes him best. He likes to speak his mind, and have fun while out there on the court. Sure does not mind making statements, that would make him likeable among the press. This mad race between Federer and Nadal, and the new entrant, Djokovic is more intriguing because of the contrasting personalities, styles and the whole history. Nadal blocking Federer's claim to be the greatest player of all time, Federer well, stopped Nadal twice before eventually falling, in the way of Nadal's dream to be more than just the king of clay. And well Djokovic. The brat. Just to make things interesting. It has the most perfect setting. Federer and Nadal, who dont seem tired of singing praises of each other, and then there is Novak, who doesnt hesitate in saying something that might be politically incorrect. Federer who makes the game look so easy, Nadal who runs around like a rabbit (thank you Safin), and Djokovic - well he is fun to watch too.
And the emergence of each character was perfect too. Federer, the prodigious kid on the block, took lots of time to come to terms with his huge potential. Before it started raining Slam's in his house, and buffaloes in his backyard.
Nadal, the prodigious young talent, expected to take over the world of tennis, but was too young at 17 to do anything significant, with time, turned into the King of Clay, but faced agonising failure before eventually tasting the sweetness of succes in the grass he cared about.
And Djokovic, coming from a country invisible on the tennis map, again took time to come to terms with what he was capable of, tasted failure in his first grand slam final, yes in the hands of one of the other two character's, before putting his country in the tennis map of champions.
All three of them faced agonising failure before the mad success that has followed. Something never heard of before. Nadal and Federer faced each other in 6 slam finals, a record. Federer reached - I lost count - consecutive semi finals, and Djokovic, before the Wimbledon blemish, had 5 consecutive semi's or better finish to a slam. While Nadal merrily continued his streak on clay, and became much more of a threat on the faster courts, and finally displaced the King of Grass, to keep his thrown warm for a while.
Besides the contrasting styles on court and attitudes off court, there is one more reason that makes this mad race, a lot more interesting. It is how each one of them, stand in other's path to the finish. That is what truely separates this from anything ever seen in the past. Such isolation of greatness. Nadal in Federer's path of winning all the slam's and claim to be the greatest ever, if he can't already, Federer in Nadal's path to become the world No. 1, shocking that a player as good as Nadal was never the best player in the world(just shows what a great player the magician is himself), and Djokovic, the ambitious young man, who believes the world is out there for him to rule. And he has done a lot to make sure he meets his dream. He is the only man to beat Federer and Nadal in the same tournament, back to back that too. And that speaks loads of his ability.
It is this which makes the battle of these three so intriguing. Having achieved considerable success, none has found it enough to be content with. And they have each other to overcome in their quest for ultimate content in life. This greed for success, and strive for perfection, initial failure, some success, yet lack of contentment - this is what makes all of us identify with this mad race. The greatest script that could ever be written. The leads being ordinary humans with extra ordinary skills. Let the show continue. Enjoy it as long as it lasts. Dont ever try to answer the question who is the greatest. Because the day you answer that, the greatest rivalries ever witnessed on that rectangle would have ended!
Enjoy the show!!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Viva la Vida!!!
A lot has been happening since the last time you have heard from me. We have been treated to high quality sporting action, an absolute dream come true for the true supporter of the great idea called sport. Its been so good, that you might be forgiven for considering golf a sport! Yes folks. It has been great across the spectrum. A lot has happened that I do not know where to start, but have started because I have nothing to do for now, two hours ahead of what promises to be a memorable clash between pre-tournament favorites Germany , and the runners-up of the last edition, led by arguably the greatest player right now, Portugal. Yeah, I will leave aside my personal favorites for a while and try to be as objective as I can be. But before I get started.. I just have to get this out of the way.. What the hell(or the more colorful four letter word) were you thinking Lewis..(Tempted to add "I blew it" Hamilton, oops I just did)???
The picture above best explains what happened to all of us who pinned our hopes on the favorites. The past month saw favorites stumble at the last hurdles. Of course, there were exceptions but by and large, this was the month of the Underdog.
I will start of with the most recent event, the conclusion of the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics, hardly given a chance by those who thought knew the game, and more importantly by those who others believed knew the game, were led by the "Truth" to put it across the LA Lakers. I have been harsh to the Lakers in the past and to Kobe in particular. But just for the moment, in my attempt to be objective, I will try and give him his due. The Lakers were deserving finalists, thrashing the defending champions and the other team, I believed to be one of the best in the west, the Jazz. They were led brilliantly by Kobe, whose post season until the Finals, made his MVP level regular season ordinary. Kobe was brilliant. He turned it on when he wanted to, and controlled games with ease and consistency, not seen from a shooting guard since His Airness. So they were deserving finalists, and with a bit of luck might have gone on to win the title, but surely, they will be a team to reckon with for the next 4-5 years at least. But yeah, Kobe still sucks. That brings us to the Celtics. Led by "The Big Three" of Truth, KG and Jesus, they found No.4 in Rondo. The Truth, deserved to be the Finals MVP. Putting aside the credibility of his knee injury, he still had a great series. And he deserved to be there, beating the King at his best. As for KG and Jesus, I am sure there is no one out there who wanted to see them retire without a ring. So it was a great finale to a great season. A season that unearthed a new superstar in CP3, and had four candidates for MVP, saw some high quality basketball, the grit of the underdogs from Atlanta, the re emergence of the Lakers and the Celtics, Superman's Magic, CP3 Vs D-Will, the made race in the west, the crazier free fall in the east, the Trailblazers, the dramatic crash of the Heat, rejuvenated Shaq, and of course, the King! The regular season was one of the best in recent times, and it sure culminated in one of the best finals in recent times. (The Detroit-Spurs was a bore)
Two great point guards to look forward to.
The French Open. Rafael Nadal. These two words describe the complete fortnight. An absolute demolition of the field not seen since Federer doing the same in the lawns of Wimbledon, a couple of years ago. And that is saying a lot. Especially when done by a player not called Roger. The finals thrashing of Roger was so shocking, that the Spaniard, actually apologized. Sure, for Roger, the grass is way greener the other side. But the re emergence of Nadal in the clay court season, has put back on track one of the greater tennis rivalries, and makes us anticipate another finals showdown between them on grass.
However, Nadal might end up being the greatest player never to be No.1. Novak Djokovic had a terrific French too and will surely overtake Nadal in the rankings, within the next year. But that is the beauty of this little idea we support. You never know!
Oh also, the women's circuit found a new world no.1, and lets just say, a lot of us are happy.
Formula 1. The last month sure made Kimi a strong believer in Karma. After crashing into Force India's Sutil in Monaco, while chasing for fourth, and thus denying the constructors and the driver their first points in F1, the world champion's race came to an end in the most comical fashion in Canada. Hamilton, who drove a brilliant race in Monaco, a little lucky maybe, finally showed that he is still a newcomer to this sport, when he failed to see the red light in the pits. Leaving, the Pole, Kubica to win the race, who by the way, was the car next to Kimi's in the pits, was left thanking his stars.
But Lewis, seriously, what were you thinking?? I have an exclusive interview with Lewis coming up soon, so will spare him of, what some might say, unfair treatment for now.
Golf!!!!! It actually made news!!!! And that says a lot. Tiger is a great player and all, yes, never denied it. But Golf? You can barely call it a sport. But the U S Open, was one of the best seen in a long long, really long time.
It had everything. An injury, A determined star, an unknown with a never say die spirit, coming from an injury himself, the oldest man, come backs, lost leads, do or die moments, everything. It had the perfect setting. And they delivered the perfect show. 'Rocky' and Tiger played the greatest playoff seen in a while and trashed all those who questioned the need of having an 18 hole playoff, and also those (me) who never regarded it a sport. They sure did give a show! And that is all that ever mattered. To a few at least!
The Champions League Final, was one of the best the game could have asked for, not for the quality of the game itself, but for the wide emotions expressed by the players within split seconds, the emotions covered the entire spectrum. And this image of John "six inches wide" Terry, (as a good friend of mine... Chari would say) will last for a very long time. But both Chelsea and Manchester United gave us a show, as sometimes, the lack of quality in a game can be made up by competitiveness. The Finals though was a reasonably high quality game. Manchester United were deserving winners. But the day will always be remembered for this.
The Euro-08 has been a great tournament so far, with teams that play aggressive football being rewarded, and of course the underdogs putting in a fight. It has been a great show thus far. And promises to be nothing less in the business end of the tournament.
Finally, Cricket. The inaugural Indian Premier League, witnessed one of the best finishes the organizers could have hoped for with a thrilling last ball finish made possible by a player who caught the nation's imagination during the course of the event. Yusuf Pathan. He made clubbing the ball fashionable again, more importantly graceful and effortless. The Indian Premier League, changed the face of Indian Television prime time radically but might have long term negative effects on the game itself. And no, it has nothing to do with the impact it will have on test cricket. I came across this theory in an article from Cricinfo.com and if you are interested, can go search for the same. But it went something like this. And it made a lot of sense.
It is almost certain that Albie Morkel and Mike Hussey will represent the Superkings instead of their teams back home for the Champions League. This is not only a huge blow to the chances of those teams in the Champions League, but might have greater impact on the game itself in the long run. The Chennai team is acquiring these two players by paying what they call "compensation" fees, which would be peanuts compared to the kind of money IPL is exposed to. In the case of the South African team, which funded and supported Albie, through his injury, this is particularly harsh. In the long run, business can bring all the good players to one place, and thereby dent the chances of victories of teams from other countries, which eventually will result in loss of the local peoples' interest in the team. Taking it to the absolute extreme, eventually this will kill cricket outside India, which can be the home to the best talent, and we can have 200 games a year and conclude it with the "World Series".
But otherwise, the IPL's first year gave a lot of great moments. Dravid's boundary in Mumbai greeted with silence, Yuvraj being booed, Sachin's wicket cheered, Symonds being applauded! IPL was the success it became, largely because the crowd was ready to accept the idea of city based franchises very quickly. Explains 60,000 seater being filled to watch home games of a team that never won at home. And to top it all, it had the underdog rising against all odds to win it all. Perfect script. And off the field, there was enough to have the people talk about it. Mallya, Shah Rukh Khan, Preity, Cheerleaders .. everything.. But whatever kept it going, the quality of cricket offered at IPL, if not extra ordinary, was definitely acceptable.
Besides IPL, there were the Windies frustrating again, Peiterson hitting left handed sixes, and India-Pakistan matches that hardly generated any interest. But the cricket was still high quality, with lots of close games, and the Aussie dominance of world cricket finally seemed to be coming to an end.
The last one month proved once again, why sports is the greatest idea ever created by man. It showed once again, that sports is not really about winning or losing for a fan, but it is to experience the two basest emotions of happiness and sadness, in its purest form, even if just momentarily. After all, for most of us, each match is just a tale, with characters whose victories inspire us, and their defeats comfort us. So here is to the greatest idea, we have ever supported. The truest reflection of the illusion we call life.
Viva la Vida!!!
(which by the way is a decent album)
The picture above best explains what happened to all of us who pinned our hopes on the favorites. The past month saw favorites stumble at the last hurdles. Of course, there were exceptions but by and large, this was the month of the Underdog.
I will start of with the most recent event, the conclusion of the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics, hardly given a chance by those who thought knew the game, and more importantly by those who others believed knew the game, were led by the "Truth" to put it across the LA Lakers. I have been harsh to the Lakers in the past and to Kobe in particular. But just for the moment, in my attempt to be objective, I will try and give him his due. The Lakers were deserving finalists, thrashing the defending champions and the other team, I believed to be one of the best in the west, the Jazz. They were led brilliantly by Kobe, whose post season until the Finals, made his MVP level regular season ordinary. Kobe was brilliant. He turned it on when he wanted to, and controlled games with ease and consistency, not seen from a shooting guard since His Airness. So they were deserving finalists, and with a bit of luck might have gone on to win the title, but surely, they will be a team to reckon with for the next 4-5 years at least. But yeah, Kobe still sucks. That brings us to the Celtics. Led by "The Big Three" of Truth, KG and Jesus, they found No.4 in Rondo. The Truth, deserved to be the Finals MVP. Putting aside the credibility of his knee injury, he still had a great series. And he deserved to be there, beating the King at his best. As for KG and Jesus, I am sure there is no one out there who wanted to see them retire without a ring. So it was a great finale to a great season. A season that unearthed a new superstar in CP3, and had four candidates for MVP, saw some high quality basketball, the grit of the underdogs from Atlanta, the re emergence of the Lakers and the Celtics, Superman's Magic, CP3 Vs D-Will, the made race in the west, the crazier free fall in the east, the Trailblazers, the dramatic crash of the Heat, rejuvenated Shaq, and of course, the King! The regular season was one of the best in recent times, and it sure culminated in one of the best finals in recent times. (The Detroit-Spurs was a bore)
Two great point guards to look forward to.
The French Open. Rafael Nadal. These two words describe the complete fortnight. An absolute demolition of the field not seen since Federer doing the same in the lawns of Wimbledon, a couple of years ago. And that is saying a lot. Especially when done by a player not called Roger. The finals thrashing of Roger was so shocking, that the Spaniard, actually apologized. Sure, for Roger, the grass is way greener the other side. But the re emergence of Nadal in the clay court season, has put back on track one of the greater tennis rivalries, and makes us anticipate another finals showdown between them on grass.
However, Nadal might end up being the greatest player never to be No.1. Novak Djokovic had a terrific French too and will surely overtake Nadal in the rankings, within the next year. But that is the beauty of this little idea we support. You never know!
Oh also, the women's circuit found a new world no.1, and lets just say, a lot of us are happy.
Formula 1. The last month sure made Kimi a strong believer in Karma. After crashing into Force India's Sutil in Monaco, while chasing for fourth, and thus denying the constructors and the driver their first points in F1, the world champion's race came to an end in the most comical fashion in Canada. Hamilton, who drove a brilliant race in Monaco, a little lucky maybe, finally showed that he is still a newcomer to this sport, when he failed to see the red light in the pits. Leaving, the Pole, Kubica to win the race, who by the way, was the car next to Kimi's in the pits, was left thanking his stars.
But Lewis, seriously, what were you thinking?? I have an exclusive interview with Lewis coming up soon, so will spare him of, what some might say, unfair treatment for now.
Golf!!!!! It actually made news!!!! And that says a lot. Tiger is a great player and all, yes, never denied it. But Golf? You can barely call it a sport. But the U S Open, was one of the best seen in a long long, really long time.
It had everything. An injury, A determined star, an unknown with a never say die spirit, coming from an injury himself, the oldest man, come backs, lost leads, do or die moments, everything. It had the perfect setting. And they delivered the perfect show. 'Rocky' and Tiger played the greatest playoff seen in a while and trashed all those who questioned the need of having an 18 hole playoff, and also those (me) who never regarded it a sport. They sure did give a show! And that is all that ever mattered. To a few at least!
The Champions League Final, was one of the best the game could have asked for, not for the quality of the game itself, but for the wide emotions expressed by the players within split seconds, the emotions covered the entire spectrum. And this image of John "six inches wide" Terry, (as a good friend of mine... Chari would say) will last for a very long time. But both Chelsea and Manchester United gave us a show, as sometimes, the lack of quality in a game can be made up by competitiveness. The Finals though was a reasonably high quality game. Manchester United were deserving winners. But the day will always be remembered for this.
The Euro-08 has been a great tournament so far, with teams that play aggressive football being rewarded, and of course the underdogs putting in a fight. It has been a great show thus far. And promises to be nothing less in the business end of the tournament.
Finally, Cricket. The inaugural Indian Premier League, witnessed one of the best finishes the organizers could have hoped for with a thrilling last ball finish made possible by a player who caught the nation's imagination during the course of the event. Yusuf Pathan. He made clubbing the ball fashionable again, more importantly graceful and effortless. The Indian Premier League, changed the face of Indian Television prime time radically but might have long term negative effects on the game itself. And no, it has nothing to do with the impact it will have on test cricket. I came across this theory in an article from Cricinfo.com and if you are interested, can go search for the same. But it went something like this. And it made a lot of sense.
It is almost certain that Albie Morkel and Mike Hussey will represent the Superkings instead of their teams back home for the Champions League. This is not only a huge blow to the chances of those teams in the Champions League, but might have greater impact on the game itself in the long run. The Chennai team is acquiring these two players by paying what they call "compensation" fees, which would be peanuts compared to the kind of money IPL is exposed to. In the case of the South African team, which funded and supported Albie, through his injury, this is particularly harsh. In the long run, business can bring all the good players to one place, and thereby dent the chances of victories of teams from other countries, which eventually will result in loss of the local peoples' interest in the team. Taking it to the absolute extreme, eventually this will kill cricket outside India, which can be the home to the best talent, and we can have 200 games a year and conclude it with the "World Series".
But otherwise, the IPL's first year gave a lot of great moments. Dravid's boundary in Mumbai greeted with silence, Yuvraj being booed, Sachin's wicket cheered, Symonds being applauded! IPL was the success it became, largely because the crowd was ready to accept the idea of city based franchises very quickly. Explains 60,000 seater being filled to watch home games of a team that never won at home. And to top it all, it had the underdog rising against all odds to win it all. Perfect script. And off the field, there was enough to have the people talk about it. Mallya, Shah Rukh Khan, Preity, Cheerleaders .. everything.. But whatever kept it going, the quality of cricket offered at IPL, if not extra ordinary, was definitely acceptable.
Besides IPL, there were the Windies frustrating again, Peiterson hitting left handed sixes, and India-Pakistan matches that hardly generated any interest. But the cricket was still high quality, with lots of close games, and the Aussie dominance of world cricket finally seemed to be coming to an end.
The last one month proved once again, why sports is the greatest idea ever created by man. It showed once again, that sports is not really about winning or losing for a fan, but it is to experience the two basest emotions of happiness and sadness, in its purest form, even if just momentarily. After all, for most of us, each match is just a tale, with characters whose victories inspire us, and their defeats comfort us. So here is to the greatest idea, we have ever supported. The truest reflection of the illusion we call life.
Viva la Vida!!!
(which by the way is a decent album)
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